Chaplaincy Undermined in the US Navy?

The place of men of God in society should be held sacred. They represent all those that hold the faith of God in their hearts. LoveWorld USA News is delighted that the US Navy is keeping the institution of the Chaplaincy sacred. It is up to us and our faith leaders, Pastor Chris and Benny Hinn, to uphold the values Christians hold dear. Stand up for your rights as Christ followers.

Have you ever heard of an atheist Chaplain? It may sound like an oxymoron. The US Navy thought so too and turned down the application of an atheist Chaplain to serve in the Navy Chaplain Corps. The move comes after 43 members of Congress signed a letter saying the Navy made the right call in turning down the appointment of Dr. Jason Heap, the National Coordinator for the United Coalition of Reason based in Washington DC. He first made an attempt under the Obama administration. The very definition of the Chaplaincy was at stake here, it is relieving to see the Navy’s response to the attempt of appointing a secular humanist or atheist Chaplain. It would have gone against everything the Chaplaincy was created to do.

The Navy should be applauded for upholding a traditional definition of the Chaplaincy, which has been reportedly confirmed by Congress and the Department of Defense. The installment of an atheist Chaplain would inevitably open the door to a host of Chaplains representing many other philosophical worldviews thus eroding the distinct religious function of the Chaplain Corps to the detriment of service members.

The Chaplaincy was instituted by General Washington to meet the religious needs of his troops. Over three dozen members of Congress had warned in that letter that if the Chaplaincy were to be expanded to philosophical beliefs, rather than only religious faith, it would not only undermine the constitutional purpose of it but it would create an additional application and administrative questions.

Family Research Council president, Tony Perkins, wrote in a statement on Tuesday:

“If the military wants to create specific programs for atheists or humanists, it can. There is no need to hijack the Chaplain Corps to serve them. Unless I suspect the real goal had nothing to do with the service, to begin with, either way, we salute the Navy for protecting the integrity of the Chaplaincy for God and country.